Thursday, March 31, 2011

Would you like a little March mixtape? I don't know about you, but March was a random month - full of ups and downs. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This mix reflects that a little bit - it's a little bit of this and that. I hope that you enjoy this tiny mix as you go about your day!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I got to spend some great QT (that's quality time for you non-abbreviators) with one of my besties this past weekend. I went up for the weekend with a few friends to go to a Phantom of the Opera ballet, and we got to hang out with Heidi, too. Even though she's got a hectic schedule with school, work, and everyday life, she managed to make us feel right at home. Two weekends with this doll in a row?! That's unheard of! I'm a spoiled girl.

Heid, I had so much fun hanging out with you - you are an awesome hostess, too! I'm glad that we managed to take a few photos this trip :) You're adorable.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I had planned on making a "what's in my bag" post for you today, since those are always fun - I know that we all like to be nosey. After a quick glimpse inside my purse, I realized that its contents just aren't too exciting this week - a few receipts, and pretty much the same old things as usual. Then I remembered a little bit of eye candy in our home...

How about a peek at the front of our fridge instead?

On our fridge, there is:

an adorable new woodland creatures magnet set from Heidi

two recent photo booth strips - one with our niece, and one with just the two of us

a Behr paint chip with dreamy shades of green - we have a sample of one of them

a cute 3D Little Red Riding Hood magnet from Kelsie

a super sweet handmade card from Janelle with a little graphic of baby Sam

a beautiful postcard from a cafe with the best croissants ever

a birdie magnet... the other half had business info, so I just snipped it :)

P.S. How cool is that border?

On Picnik, you can colour match the border colour to things in your photo. Neat, eh?

On one of the photo strips is my absolute favourite photo booth picture of Daniel and I:

Monday, March 28, 2011

I ordered Daniel a shirt online and it arrived in our mailbox just before the weekend. It fits him perfectly, which you can never be too sure of with an online purchase. He loves it! The colours and font are terrific, and it's top quality, too. If you are a big Office fan, I'm sure that you'll enjoy it. The whole Dwight vs. Jim banter kills me. That quote is from one of our favourite episodes, so I was thrilled when I spotted it.

I got my goon to pose for a picture. Silly boy. Silly shirt. Seems just right to me.

Friday, March 25, 2011

I don't know about you, but I am absolutely loving neutrals and light colours lately! I'm not sure if it is because I am eager for spring to arrive, or that I'm tired of drab old colours - don't get me wrong - gray is still my favourite! It's time to push the black to the back of the closet and embrace the lighter side of things!

I wanted to create a spring edition of Polyvore Loves around pieces that I would love to have in my wardrobe. Many of these items are high-end, aka uber pricey, but they are here to serve as inspiration, not as an actual shopping list. Dresses, tops, skirts, and shoes - they are all covered in this post. I hope these little collections will help you get in the mood to chose some lighter or brighter pieces in your closet... I know I can't wait to put some fun springtime outfits together! Maybe this weekend you will be rocking something springlike :)

I'm not sure about you, but I love embroidery hoops. The creative possibilities are endless! When we were in our previous apartment, I collected tonnes of empty hoops in hopes of doing a whole wall. I found them the other day and now I'm itching to create! There are oodles and oodles of cool ways to use them - fill them with simple pieces of pretty fabric, mixed media, or the original purpose: embroidery!

I created an Etsy treasury of a whole bunch of my current favourite embroidered hoops.

I went on a very quick thrift trip a couple weeks back. I went into the store looking for a new blanket for our dog - we buy secondhand hand-knit throws for him so I don't feel guilty throwing them out when they get all grody (how do you spell that?! I've only used it out loud before...) from being washed a million times. If you have a pet, I'm sure that you know what I mean.

Not only did I find Sage a nice new blanket, but I walked out of the store with this:

What?! Can you believe that I thrifted this beautiful blanket? At $12.99, it was way more than I usually spend on one secondhand item... but it was totally worth it. A handmade throw in colours that match our room perfectly! It's all hand-tied as well. What a gorgeous piece of work - I can't believe that someone donated it! Their loss, I guess :) It's just perfect for us!

The last photo of the set shows the throw's colours the most accurately - aren't they dreamy? It has the exact yellow of our quilt set, a shade of mint green that I love, and a lovely dark gray that matches our Euro shams. This blanket is one of my favourite finds yet!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

This was the first time in a long, long time that I took a much needed blog break.

Sometimes the blog juices just aren't flowing. I don't know if it's from a lack of inspiration, a creative dry spell, or just a loss of desire to write and share, but I just wasn't feeling it. I took a few days - had a great weekend with my closest gal pals, had a root canal (part 2), went to a family friend's funeral, got to hang out with my niece and nephews, and a lovely lady from our church threw me a little housewarming get together today. Now after all of that time away from Polka Dot Soup, I'm ready to get my blog on again. Maybe this was just what I needed.

I'm not quite sure what direction I would like to take the blog in. I really like the random regular features, but I would like to have a more scheduled approach. I don't want to box myself in with a routine, but I feel like it's what I need to continue this blog in a happy direction. That leaves me with a question...

Are there any things that you would like to see on Polka Dot Soup?

Please share - this includes the lurkers! :)

If you aren't able to comment directly on my blog for any reason, e-mail me your suggestions at littleohme(at)hotmail(dot)com

I'd love to hear some feedback - please help me make this blog a place that you love to visit!

Friday, March 18, 2011

How's that photo for a little bright, sunshiney goodness for your day? I was looking through some of our stored home decor items, and I found this pillow. The yellow matches our quilt and shams perfectly! It's a nice dose of spring in our bedroom. That pillow is one of my favourite thrift store finds - or should I say thrift store projects...

I found a handmade pillowcase made of Amy Butler fabrics. It was perfect! Amy Butler is one of my favourite fabric designers, so I scooped it up right away, without even thinking of how I would use it. The pillowcase hung out with our linens for a long, long time. One day, Mom and I were making throw pillows for our old living room, and I remembered this pillow case. Mom measured a throw cushion filler, cut the old pillowcase to match, and sewed me up a beautiful accent pillow! How cute is the fabric combination?! I wish I knew who donated it... not only did they pick an adorable fabric combination, but where did they get the Amy Butler fabric?? It isn't available in our province... I can only order it online. What a sweet seamstress!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

I would love to regularly share recipes with you... so I came up with "The Kitchenette". All of the recipes that I will share will be easy, and not have exotic ingredients. I know that I sometimes get in a meal-making rut, and I'm sure that you do, too. Hopefully these posts will help you to stay inspired!

I made this recipe for the second time: I love how big of a batch it makes. It's perfect for us: there is enough for a meal for the two of us, and lots left to share with someone else. If you have a family, it's the perfect family sized amount. Not to mention... it's delish!

This is not my original recipe: I found it in a library book several years ago, and added it to my list of favourite recipes. I hope that you give it a try: it's easy and inexpensive. You will love it!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I created this set for my fellow rural Canadians. Let's face it, there aren't a whole lot of places to shop... inexpensively. Sure there are some cute boutiques, but in reality, most of us can't afford to fill our closets with items from a high-end shop... it's more for a fun occasion. Unless you do all of your shopping online, you are stuck with the classic chain stores to get your everyday wear. But don't worry, I wanted to show you a cute little outfit today that you can realistically buy, too!

I'm ready to put a little spring in my wardrobe, so I thought that I would take a look at some basic pieces at Old Navy. Their stores have so many pretty colours in stock right now - lots of pinks, greens, yellows, blues. One thing I hate about shopping there, though, is that if you buy something at full price, chances are that the item will be on sale or special the following week. Old Navy is a great way to add basics or trendy pieces at a low price, though. Here's the outfit that I came up with:

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

In an attempt to pare down, I've been trying to reassess my craft supply stash.

I don't know why we all like to hoard our supplies so much.
Since I don't have a craft room anymore, my stash is crammed into our coat closet - and I need to make room to take out our warmer weather shoes and coats.
I don't understand what all of those supplies are still doing in my possession.
What, am I going to have a scrapbooking emergency?! Not much chance of that.
Why not spread the wealth with my readers?

If you would like some buttons, I would love to share with you! I have them organized by colour, if there is a certain combination that you would like... or I can do a goody grab bag as well. Drop me a line at littleohme(at)hotmail(dot)com.

I had a busy weekend... that carried over until Monday. I have a love/hate thing with busy weekends. I like doing stuff, but I hate the housework that I have to get caught up on once there's a normal routine again. Anyone else feel my pain?

I made a little rule for myself - no internet on Saturday and Sunday. I really felt like I had more fun this weekend without being glued to a computer. It's nice to be able to spend "real-time" with people.

Friday evening we drove for a little while, went out for supper with a friend, then we hung out with Dan's mom, sister and kiddos for the evening. Man, those kids are adorable! I love when we get to spend time with them - they crack me up.

We spent Saturday morning with our niece, as her little birthday treat for turning four. We went to the photo booth, she got to pick out a new outfit, signed some books out at the library, and went to lunch at the restaurant of her choice - McDonalds :) We bee-lined back home so I could get to the ladies' Bible study and potluck. It was the last one for the study we were doing, so we got to tell our Secret Sisters who we were. It was a lot of fun. Daniel had hockey with the boys on Saturday night, and I went to the annual St. Patrick's Day auction with Mom at our local fire hall. I bought something for the first time in four years! I'll share it with you later in the week... it's super pretty :)

Sunday morning, we went to church - luckily, we didn't sleep in with the time change! We came home, I had a nap, and Daniel went to my little cousin's hockey game. When he got home, my darling surprised me with a little date at home night. He came home with a bag of treats and a movie, it was a lovely surprise!

Monday morning, I took Mom to a doctor's appointment, and we went to a few stores there, too. We got home in the late afternoon, and then once Dan got home from work, we went to our friend's place for supper, games, and chill time watching the Food Network :) Whew! I'm glad to have a little down time to get caught up on everything...

There. I shared. Sometimes it's tough sharing real life stuff on here - I'd rather not get too personal. I just felt like typing this morning, I guess. I hope your weekend was fun, too!

... and just because I can't make a post without a photo, here's a little road trip love :)

(heh heh - it was totally not from this weekend - check out the green grass!)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Do you remember me mentioning Sam's birth last Friday? He's a special little boy that was born last week to our friends Janelle and Patrick. Please pray for them as everything gets finalized. (They adopted him.)

I wanted to create something for our little honorary nephew Sam. We've been sending care packages, but we wanted the main present to be special. Handmade is always the best option. Now that the package has arrived safe and sound, I'm so excited to share his gift with you! Here's what I made:

It's a cloud mobile! I wanted to make something neutral, so J + P can use it for future kiddos as well. It's made out of a cream-coloured fleece, and it is suspended with clear thread from a wooden ring. It could fit into any decor, and doesn't have to be a baby mobile, either. I had so much fun making it!

I hope that you have a lovely weekend - our is starting out a little awkward, but we have a lot of plans. We're hoping to hang out with friends tonight, spend tomorrow morning with our niece, and then I'm going to a ladies' Bible study and potluck. It should be fun!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

As you may remember from earlier posts, I've been on the hunt for yellow. Yellow anything. Anything that will bring a little springtime into our living room. I went and had a root canal done on Monday (yay!) and Mom and I did a little thrifting. I was selective, though. I'm getting to the point where I go and look for specific items. Items that are not what I am looking for get left there. There's too much junk in our tiny place already. Anyway... something yellow jumped out at me from a shelf:

A yellow ceramic dish! It's the perfect shade, too. For 99 cents, I found quite the little bargain. I can use it as a planter, to corral odds and ends, or even to just look pretty on a shelf. The pretty material underneath it is a pillow sham that I thrifted last year... it's been hanging out in our linen closet, but I can't bare to get rid of it. I know I'll find the perfect use for it someday.

I also found a backpack for Daniel on Monday. He's been looking for a little sporty one to use while biking or snowboarding. This one is Mountain Equipment Co-op, and it's in perfect condition. It's black, gray, and green, with one cross-body strap and a nifty water bottle holder. I tossed it in the washing machine with a little Spray and Wash on it when I got home, and it looks brand new. Not bad for $4.99!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I love to share favourite colour combinations with you, as you have seen here and here. Why not make it a monthly feature?

March's colour combo is bright and sunny... which I hope the weather will soon become. The saturated shades of acid green and cyan blue are a cheerful change from our boring and safe winter neutrals. Take a look around your home or closet for some form of these colours this month - a little pop of colour will do wonders in boosting your mood!

I love sharing items that I enjoy with you. This edition contains lots of links, so you can enjoy for yourself. Of course, there are some that are a little more personal, but can be modified to fit your life. For example, while you can't have baby Sam photos sent to you, you can look at adorable pictures of babies that you love. You also can't read the school journals that Mom found in the basement, but you can read journals that you wrote in, or a loved one did, and have a good laugh at the photos and stories. That's enough about me - I should stop typing and get to the sharing part, shouldn't I?

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

We have a fairly large painting in the living room. I've been meaning to repaint one of the lines to match our current colours, but since I've been eyeballing it the past few weeks, another idea popped into my mind. I would love to paint the frame white!

We have so much dark, heavy furniture in our living room, and I wanted the room to feel light and bright when I first chose our wall colour. The white frame would be a serious hit of brightness. The only thing is, the painting is on the same wall as the television. Black TV plus black framed painting equals kind of blending, right? I can't make up my mind. Here's a photo to jog your memory:

If I really wanted everything to blend, I could create some sort of gallery wall surrounding the television. I'm kind of over the gallery wall look, though. I've tried it before, and I feel that you need to invest in pretty, nice, cohesive frames in order to pull it off correctly. Buying frames is not something that I feel like spending money on. Free white paint in the basement is a little more my style :)

The whole "light and bright" approach for our living room is really taken from a Pure Design makeover that I got our wall colour from. Here's a link if you would like to take a peek at my inspiration . I feel like our living room needs a nice loud dose of white.

Well, what do you think - leave as is or paint the frame white?

As a side note - if this helps to pull you in any particular direction... I'm adding yellow accessories to the room over the next few weeks.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

This week, I have a totally mod outfit to share. The hip little printed Orla Kiely dress, the high-end gold woven Tory Burch flats, and the Marc by Marc Jacobs pretty coral purse are enough to send anyone on a designer shopping spree! I love the adorable (and inexpensive!) accessories from Mod Cloth, too - the floral earrings and beautiful gold ring are the perfect match for the dress.

Add a little coral nail polish colour-coordinated to the ensemble, and you are good to go on any date your heart desires! This outfit would be fairly versatile, good for almost any situation. I am telling you though, if I catch you are wearing this outfit, I will be extremely jealous! :)

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Our nearest second-hand shop closes up for the month of March every year. They purge old stuff, revamp the store itself, and restock lots of goodies. Right before they close every year, they put everything on for half price. My mom and I ran in last week, and look at my little treasure...

Is that not the cutest tea saucer ever?! I collect them, as you may know... but only individual plates, never sets. Oh, the colours - pink, mustard, brown, green! The tweedish background... oo la la. Here's a closer peek:

How much did I pay for this little gem, you may ask? A mere thirteen cents! I could actually pay cash for it :) I love this little plate so much, I decided to change the feature header shot to include it! Here's a look at the new picture:

When I was sorting through box after box of crafting supplies last week, I found a stack of photos that I had been meaning to scrapbook before we moved. Some were recent, but quite a few were not so current. It was time to work those photos into some pages!

Last night, during a quiet evening in, I seized the opportunity to have a craft night. A few scattered photos, random supplies, bits, and bobbins to use up, and older paper that's ready to be used equals a finished project. Nothing fancy, but better in an album than in a stack of papers.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

I don't know about you, but when I find out that we're about to have visitors, I panic a little inside. No matter what condition our place is in, I always get a little nervous.

To keep myself sane, I have a little house clean-up routine

that gets our place presentable in a jiffy.

I thought that I'd share my routine with you today -
maybe it will help you out of a jam!

The pretty entrance at Mom and Dad's house

Here we go!

- Phone rings... we have a half hour to work with.

- I check my beverage supply... take out frozen juice, fill up the kettle, etc.

- Head to the bathroom... take out my handy cleaning wipes.
Do the sink, edge of toilet, and doorhandle. I clean the mirror, scrub the toilet,

and make sure that the shower curtain is pulled over. Done. Light a candle.

- If there are any dirty dishes, do 'em up quick. Any dried, put them away.

Wipe down the counter and stove, sweep the floor. Done.

- Quick check of the bedroom. Take the towels off the door

(yes, we reuse our towels... how else do you keep from doing a million loads of laundry?!)

and make check to make sure the bed is made. No clothes on the floor. Done.

- Next room: living room. Wipe down the side tables, make sure the coasters are clean.

Fluff the pillows, sweep the floor. If there's time, clean the mirror. Done. Light a candle.

Ahhhh. There. The house is neat as a pin. There's no deep cleaning involved, but your place will appear to be sparkling. Don't you feel a little less stressed?

I also have a rule - a self-made rule. No candle burning unless the room is clean. That keeps me from feeling grungy... like the candle is attempting to cover up the mess or something. Candle equals cleanliness.